Editorial: Looking for Rainbows
May 2020
This weekend, we passed Day 50 of shelter-in-place (or “pause” as we’re calling it here in NY State).
There are a few things I’ve learned so far:
You can get a lot of things delivered.
Teaching online is not as limited as I once thought.
That being said, Zoom fatigue is real.
I can give Steve a haircut.
Time is passing very slowly. Also, what day is it?
I can make pizza rolls (trying sourdough this week — wish me luck!).
Puzzles are a great way to pass the time.
Music is a gift we can give and receive right now.
At the beginning of this 50-day period, I found myself grieving all the things we couldn’t do because of this pandemic, focusing on the things we couldn’t have or buy and the experiences we were missing.
But now, I’m trying to celebrate the things we can do, focus on the things we have already or are able to purchase, and the experiences we can still share together (like our weekly SGN-viewing lunch dates).
In other words, I’m looking for the rainbows in the midst of the storm. 🌈
It's the symbol people are hanging in their windows and drawing on the sidewalk right now. It’s a symbol of hope, a reminder that this season won’t last forever.
In an interview with Oprah several years ago, Maya Angelou shared, “I’ve had a lot of clouds [in my life], but I have had so many rainbows.” Perhaps this is true for you, too.
Her advice? “Be a rainbow in someone else’s clouds.”
Look for opportunities to shine light in the darkness, to love others well (even when we are forced to be apart). Like the restaurants and businesses donating meals to those in need and the masks people have sewn and shared with others.
Look for opportunities to serve, to share the gift of a smile or a kind word. Like the family that drew a kind message with chalk on their driveway to thank the trash collectors on trash day or the neighbors that shared a poem a day (for National Poetry Month) to inspire passers-by.
We may never get back to the way things were before COVID-19 and maybe that’s okay. Perhaps the greatest thing we might learn in the face of all this is that we are resilient. And we are capable of making a difference right here, from home, with what we have.
As we journey into the next 50 days, whatever they may hold, may we claim the promise that hope is still here. There may be clouds, but there are also so many rainbows. 🌈